It's finally ended, and we're a little bereft. Breaking Bad grew from being that weird little show that seemed destined to be overshadowed by Weeds to become a pop-culture bestriding colossus, winning critical acclaim and general adulation on a level not seen since The Wire. To distract ourselves from the gaping hole in our lives, we have put together the very best moments from the show - and please be warned that the final picture comes from the final episode, so don't click on to page 25 unless you have seen it! But with that warning in mind, let's cook...

N.B. This list takes into account what the Chief Cook of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan, listed as his five favourite moments from the show, so if you're looking for the death of X or the explosion of Y, be sure to check out his high five here first.

At first, it’s genuinely not clear whether Walt is being a despicable bastard or a despicable genius when he’s talking to Skyler over the phone Breaking Bad’s ante-penultimate episode. The proverbial shit has finally hit the fan, so at first it seems that he really has gone fully overboard, calling Skyler a “stupid bitch” and meaning it, warning her not to cross him with genuine malice. But when Skyler asks about Hank’s whereabouts, the penny finally drops.

Tears pour out of Walt’s eyes as he chokes back his emotions: he’s known all along that the police are listening in, and all of this has been another ingenious ruse, only this time, he can barely keep in character. The crowning glory of one of the best episodes of Breaking Bad – like other classics like ‘The Fly’ and ‘Fifty-One’, it was directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson – it’s guaranteed to turn all but the most stony-hearted into gibbering wrecks.

My favourite moments in the series was Jesse's wooden box speech in therapy, and tied to this, the incredibly poetic and tragic dream that Jesse has creating this box, which is interrupted by a reality cut to his imprisonment in the meth lab. Absolutely stunning, and for me the hands down best moment in the show. More

Posted by jrewing1000 on Thursday October 17, 2013, 13:33

2

The "Assassins"

I agree with everyone here, room for a top 50 or even 100. I was late into BB and watched the entire run back to back over several nights. I loved the Assassins ruse Walter uses to ensure his money is payed to his son by the Schwarzes. More

Posted by djdarrenjames on Wednesday October 9, 2013, 22:47

3

it would be cool if this list were chronological

Then everyone who hasn't yet seen season 5 can just read it up to the point where they are within the show More

Posted by Jasper_29 on Wednesday October 9, 2013, 12:18

4

"Walt you left us, me, Elliott. This can't really be how you see it"

We don't know for certain what happened with Walt, Elliott and Gretchen and how Gray Matter fell through. When they meet Gretchen said that Walt abruptly walked out on her, and the business. Walt of course refuses to discuss that element of whatever the situation was, and that is telling. He doesn't want to see the situation as anything other than black and white.
It drives him along to be able to think of himself as the victim, with everything being everyone else's fault. That's part of his hubris. Even when he kills someone, in his mind it's because they force him to kill them.
Maybe he walked out because with his extreme low self esteem he couldn't handle the pressure. Maybe he met and fell in love with Skylar. We don't know for sure. But there are reasons to believe Walt was damaged long before Gray Matter fell through for him. It's possible that they did screw him over entirely, but it would seem to be a tad more complicated. More

Posted by seanj1 on Tuesday October 8, 2013, 00:06

5

"Have you turned your phone off?" - "which one?"

One of the little quirks I liked about the show was that whenever Walt was extremely tired or drugged or drunk, small elements of truth would creep out of his mouth as he was no longer capable of controlling the lies that he told. The best example of this was when (I think) he was being prepped for surgery and Skylar asked him "have you switched your phone off" and in his drug-induced haze he replies "which one", and I think at that point Skylar knew just what a master liar she shared her bed with.
Enjoyed the list put together by Team Empire. Everyone will have favourite scenes that are not included. There were probably enough gems for a top 100 More

Posted by chrispdaniel on Monday October 7, 2013, 00:54

6

I was the man who watched

I have just watched the finale episode of Breaking Bad. I thought the final scene in which 'Heisenberg' is reflected in the boiler (might not be called a boiler), intentional or not, was very clever. In that moment he and Walt are connected, both have blood on their hands, and then they slip away from one another and it is Walt we are left with. Like Walter White once said 'Chemistry is about transformation,' and I think Breaking Bad has transformed television. Masterful. More

Posted by circuit on Saturday October 5, 2013, 22:35

7

Need 25 More

I think there should be another 25 added to this list, like the Crawl Space. Walt's maniacal laughter in a seemingly impossible dilemma to wriggle his way out of. The tension when the cousins come to visit Walt to bonk him off, only to be called out right at the last minute whilst oblivious Walt is in the shower.
So, um, yeah. 25 more. :D More

Come on! How is the final shot of Crawl Space on this list? That is just wrong. More

Posted by sirisol on Wednesday October 2, 2013, 19:48

10

Crawl Space

The final shot of Crawl Space. Walt boxed in and cackling like a madman. More

Posted by darkside84 on Tuesday October 1, 2013, 18:27

11

I know you mentioned it but...

...how is Danny Trejo's head riding on the back of an exploding tortoise not one of the 25. I think, for me, that was the moment I realised I properly loved this show. More

Posted by LORD LIONAL on Tuesday October 1, 2013, 13:20

12

Mike and Gus Deaths

I think Giancarlo Esposito's tie shift for me after the explosion is the finest moment in the entire show. Although Mike's "Shut the f__k up and let me die in peace," was beautiful, brilliant in summing up what he thought about Walt. More

Posted by bradcam72 on Tuesday October 1, 2013, 12:39

13

Breaking Bad

When he saw the guy buying gear to cook meth in the hardware store and spoke to him, then snapped and confronted him and a big scary looking dude in the car park was the moment Walt truly became Heisenberg. More

Posted by shadozfest on Tuesday October 1, 2013, 12:38

14

Train Heist

Glad you included the post train heist scene. But in my mind, you missed the point. It's greatness is due to the transition from fist pumping triumph to utter despair... in a matter of moments. More

Posted by Old_Pyrate on Tuesday October 1, 2013, 09:40

15

I know you mentioned it but...

...how is Danny Trejo's head riding on the back of an exploding tortoise not one of the 25. I think, for me, that was the moment I realised I properly loved this show. More

Posted by LORD LIONAL on Tuesday October 1, 2013, 05:07

16

One Minute

Anything with the Cousins was brilliant on this show. Especially their visits Pollos Hermanos. More